Ancient Rome: Life, Traditions, Features

The Daily lives of Slaves, Plebeians and Patricians

In ancient Rome the population was split into three separate groups Slaves, Plebeians and patricians. The Slaves were poor they spent all their lives cleaning, washing, cooking and much more. Slaves were usually Prisoners from war that were forced to be slaves, or they were simply born into slavery. Slaves had no rights and were considered legal property of their owner. Patricians were the rich they usually had a house near the city and a villa in the country that was most likely run by slaves. They would usually have large meals consisting of egg, olives, meat with herbs and sauce. They would then end with cakes, pastries, fruits and nuts. Plebeians weren’t rich but they weren’t poor they most likely lived in three- or four-story apartments called insulae’s. Typically, two families would live in one apartment. Their meals would usually consist of bread, soup and porridge and as a treat maybe a roast chicken. Their insulae’s didn’t have toilets so they would use pots which were emptied out the window onto the street below which is very unsanitary.

Religions and burial rights

In ancient Rome it is believed that most of their gods and goddesses were adapted from Greek gods. According to Darlington, R (2019 page 1) The romans had hundreds of gods and goddesses. They usually tolerated the religions of people they conquered as long as those people were willing to pay homage to the Roman emperor.

Schooling

Schools in ancient Rome were very different to how they are now. “Most Children attended school for five years to learn basic education. Teachers were extremely strict. They had all rights to beat children if they were misbehaving. The students used wax and tablets to write and when the made a mistake they would use their hands to smooth the wax back out. In maths they would use an abacus made from small pieces of wood. But it wasn’t always like this.”

Woman’s roles and rights

Ancient Rome is not like places you would know of today men and woman defiantly didn’t have equal rights. According to Ducksters Ancient Rome (2019 page 1) “Women had little official political power in Rome. They were not allowed to vote or hold political office. In general, they were not accepted into political debate or other areas of public life.” Woman were not without rights completely though, woman could own property and run a business. They would usually get married around 14 and once they were married, they would be classified legal rights of their husband although that was changed around the time Rome became an empire I 27 BC. According to Ducksters Ancient Rome (2019 page 2) “Married women ran the Roman household. All aspects of home life were run and managed by the woman of the house. She was called the ‘materfamilias’, which means ‘mother of the family.’ Some women also held jobs outside the home. They worked a variety of jobs including merchants, wet nurses, midwives, scribes, and dancers.

Art and drama

Classical Latin authors such as Horace and Livy suggest that Roman drama originated at such things as country festivals, harvests, and weddings. They mention the Fescennine verses which were improvised performances by clowns that included obscenities, poetic meter, mocking, and more. From the beginning, acting was the job of professionals in Rome, often slaves.

Architecture

The ancient Rome architecture is an important part in history, without roman architecture a lot of things around the world wouldn’t exist because they were based around roman architecture. According to ancient history encyclopedia (2018 page 2), “Roman architects continued to follow the guidelines established by the classical orders the Greeks had first shaped one thing near is based of Ancient roman architecture you might not know it, but it is. Things like Suncorp stadium and most football stadiums were based on the layout and architecture of the colosseum.

Wars in Rome and their tactics

The Romans were extremely good at siege tactics. Roman engineers developed several different devices that could throw stones and javelins long distances. The most important of these were the catapult, ballista and onager. According to Scott Michel (2019 page 1)

“Roman soldiers were trained to fight well and to defend themselves. If the enemy shot arrows at them they would use their shields to surround their bodies and protect themselves. This formation was known as ‘the turtle’. They fought with short swords, daggers for stabbing and a long spear for throwing.”

Technological advantages

In Ancient Rome they had many Technological advantages because the romans invented lots of incredible things that we use every day. According to Evan Andrew (2019 page 1) “The Romans were known to contribute to public discourse through the use of official texts detailing military, legal and civil issues. Known as Acta Diurna, or “daily acts,” these early newspapers were written on metal or stone and then posted in heavily trafficked areas like the Roman Forum.” Romans invented road they were originally small concrete paths that had thin indents for the cartwheels.

Emperors and their achievements

In ancient Rome there were many Emperors including Justinian (482 AD – 14 November, 565 AD), Vespasian (69 AD-79 AD) and many more. According to Saugat Adhikari (2019 page 1) “Justinian was well known for creating a unified code of law, the Justinian Code, that was based on a collection of already used Roman laws. This code has subsequently been taken as the basis of all systems of law in the Western world.” According to Norwich University Online (2017 page 2) “Vespasian, born Titus Flavius Vespasian, was the ninth emperor of Rome and started the Flavian dynasty, which lasted twenty-eight years. He was known for his military accomplishments, especially in Britain, and for successfully subverting the Jewish revolts in Judea.”

Bibliography

1. http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-life/day-in-the-life-of-a-slave.htm
2. https://rome.mrdonn.org/school.html
3. https://www.ancient.eu/article/659/the-role-of-women-in-the-roman-world/
4. https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Architecture/
5. https://www.historyforkids.net/roman-architecture.html
6. http://historylink101.com/2/Rome/roman-plebeians.htm
7. https://study.com/academy/lesson/ancient-roman-theatre-history-performance.html
8. https://www.theaterseatstore.com/blog/ancient-roman-theater
9. https://spartacus-educational.com/ROMmilitary.htm
10. https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-romans-the-roman-army
11. https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/rome-history/top-10-greatest-emperors-ancient-rome/

Pics:

1. https://quatr.us/romans/roman-schools-education-ancient-rome.htm
2. https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-colosseums-upper-level-to-open-for-the-first-time-in-40-years

Bibliography

1. Darlington, R. (2018). History Alive 7, Ancient Rome. In Chapter 7.10 Religion and the Romans (pp. pp 205- 207). John Wiley and Sons.
2. Rymer, E. (2019). Roman Family, Schools, Plebeians, Patricians. Retrieved from Ancient Rome: http://historylink101.com/2/Rome/index.htm